Joshua Van believes his victory over Tatsuro Taira cemented his status as UFC flyweight champion, but he expects Alexandre Pantoja to present a familiar challenge when they meet again at UFC 331 this weekend.
Van will face Pantoja in the main event of UFC 331 on Saturday, nearly a year after their first meeting at UFC 323 in December. That fight ended after just 26 seconds when Pantoja suffered a dislocated elbow, allowing Van to become the new flyweight champion.
Since then, Van has defended his title against Tatsuro Taira earlier this year. Speaking to UFC News this week, the champion explained how that victory helped validate his position at the top of the division.
“I’ve always known I was a dog, you know? So it just proved to the people that been doubting me that I am a dog. It means a lot for me, you know? Even though I won the belt, it was like bittersweet, right? When I beat Tatsuro, I was like, ‘this is how winning a title supposed to feel like’, you know? A lot more media, you know, a lot more media and just life is a lot easier - taking care of my family is a lot easier. But other than that man, everything is the same.”
With Pantoja now standing across from him once again, Van expects the former champion to attempt some adjustments but ultimately return to his established style.
“I prepared for him the first time. I don't think he's gonna change his fighting style, you know? He’s gonna try to, but you've been doing it for so long (that) it's hard to change what you've been doing for so long. He’s gonna try to change but the moment he gets tired he’ll go back to (it) so we do exactly the same thing.”
Van also explained his approach to preparing for fights, emphasizing that he focuses on the challenge in front of him rather than becoming overly concerned with the identity of his opponent.
“I just look at every fight like I don't have (an) opponent. Just looking at the fight that I have in front of me is the biggest fight, so I train the best I can every time.”
